Disclaimer: I do not own the various anime/manga thingies. The respective creators do. (I just pretend their mine ~_^)

Before you read on please note that some of this story and or wordings may not make sense to you but please bear with it, as it will become clearer as the story progresses from chapter to chapter.

If you have any questions that weren't answered however, then please send me an email, address given at the Author's Corner, and I will answer them to the best of my abilities.

Note: This takes place after volume 19. Which means that I'm pretty darn far into the series and I hate it cause I can't get enough!!! So there are spoilers and the personality of the character Naruto is going to be changed as I more or less implement other anime stuff into this series! I like it! But that is just my opinion… Hope you Enjoy.

Prologue

Screams filled the air. Death hugged every sense. People and soldiers danced about as they clashed against each other, dancing the very fine dance that separated life and death. It was almost beautiful as the weapons flowed from moment to moment creating a mesmerizing form that had only a single intent.

Death.

Two distinct factions raged across a large, devastated cityscape that lay within a valley of a mountain. Large barriers made of rocky walls formed natural barriers as it stretched towards the skies, forcing any army to move in from only a single direction, making a perfect location for a city. Within the city however, homes and buildings crumbled and burned as war raged.

The massive city was in chaos as invaders came in at all sides, the original inhabitants gone as the rumors of drawing war drew closer. The last of the city's fleeing populace long since left as the final vestiges of their empire fell to ruin. Though many had left, many more had instead entered military service, preparing to defend their city to the last.

Bodies littered the many streets as blood flowed freely from lifeless bodies. Fires raged among the houses as others continued to fight, throwing weapons and clashing in close quarters. Spiritual energy glow among the streets as spiritual skills were thrown against each other, clashing against one another in the ultimate test of spirit and will.

Soldiers died left and right, friends and family, comrades who risked all in mortal combat. Very few were wounded, the majority of the soldiers died fighting, their fragile existence ending within a single deadly blow. Weapons of metal and skills of spirit raged across the fields of death, mercilessly flitting through those that were deemed enemy.

Within all the chaos, at the base of the mountain stood the large and proud castle of the Shadowed Sun, hosting their greatest lords as the battle unfolded. Ranks upon ranks of soldiers flowed from the iron gates, spewing into the city before them, meeting their enemies' head on within the walls of their city.

The defenders, humans and non-humans of the clan of the Shadowed Sun marched outwards, the majority armored heavily in half plate and wielding steel weaponry. In mass numbers, the defenders continued the march as they met their opponents on the battlefield within their own city. Their intent, to protect what was theirs. Their belief in their superiority clashed against those who would think themselves equal to their blessed might of arms.

They were the mighty and proud empire of the Shadowed Sun, an empire that stretched across the land, brining fear and oppression to those that they deemed lesser and weak. Countless kingdoms near and far were theirs to control. Unfathomable numbers of souls were enslaved under their name, dredging out their meek existence within the empire of their ruling masters, to live and die as the lords desired.

They were strong and unchallenged, their military, trained and invincible. Their lords were mighty and feared, their strength, limitless. It was they who ruled through the divine right of power. It was they who were worthy.

On the opposite, were those who valiantly charged in, their spirits of battle shining in the darkness of war. They were the clan of the Nine Tails, a group of people that revered the great nine tailed demon foxes, moved in forward, trudging against the ranks of their hated enemies.

Their destination was the castle that towered on the horizon. The one goal, their one purpose, the defeat of the oppressive lords of the Shadowed Sun and the final fall of their once proud and might empire. Garbed in lighter armor, they rushed forward, the belief of justice guiding their instincts as they fought to the death in the name of peace.

They were once among the last of the strong and free. Had they been left alone, they would have been content to simply keep what was theirs. To rule over what little they deemed was theirs. For generation their tribe had lived within the wild lands, caring little for the empire of others. For all that interested them were the beauty of battle, the test of strength against those stronger. They cared little for things like subjection or something as whimsical as sovereignty over others. To them, the fight was all.

It was the test of single combat that they attempted to live in. For a single sense that they felt during those moments of the fight, a sense that seemed to derive the feeling of life. It was for those moments that they left the conflicts of countries alone, the people preferring the test of mettle in single combat rather then anything else. They were content to let those empires rise and fall as they traveled, following the paths of their hearts. It was through these paths that they had gained the title of world strongest.

Then they were invaded.

The empire of the Shadowed Sun with arrogance plowed into their lands, seizing as much as they could grasp. Within weeks, the wild lands of the Nine Tails were overtaken, forcing the clan itself to grudgingly retreat.

Those that lead the clan of the Nine Tails were proud and stubborn, but not stupid as they easily saw the might of those before them. Instead they ordered all to retreat, to leave their homes as they regrouped to strengthen their numbers as a whole. Though they preferred single combat, nowhere did it ever state that they didn't know how to fight as a clan of proud warriors. They would retreat and leave their lands now, but would one day soon return to reclaim what was theirs.

The lords took delight in the knowledge that they had once again claimed a country filled with simple and archaic styles of living. They had destroyed a once content culture of uselessness, giving them a small sense of accomplishment as they forced out the last of the frail clan before the might of their armies. They took the coveted title of world strongest as their own, relishing in the namesake that so many other clans craved.

However, that was the Shadowed Sun's fatal mistake.

Had they left the single clan alone, the domination of the known land would have been theirs. As the Nine Tails clan would have cared less if the world fell before the might empire as long as they were left alone and were allowed to travel as freely as they had always been allowed.

For as long as those could remember, the clan of Nine Tails had coveted the title of strongest for a reason. The giant demon known as the Nine Tails Fox Demon were nothing too special in any areas other then quicker self-healing abilities and greater amounts of spiritual power. But, when such a demon was cursed into a human person through various rites, the fox demon's true power became apparent.

With training, the fox demon became neither dominated nor dominating, instead it existed in coexistence with the human, augmenting its powers with theirs, creating the might of a warrior who could rivaled even the almost unchallenged strength of the Demon Lords.

In the ensuing years, the clan of the Nine Tails gathered the feeble and scattered souls of the free and began their quest of vengeance. Quickly moving in, they began to conquer what the Shadowed Sun once held.

From within the new force resided two distinct factions. Though they all used the single symbol of the Nine Tails, the force was divided. To distinguish the two factions, the forehead protectors were set on two different fabrics. Those with the blood red were those that served the clan of the Nine Tails loyally and had roots within. While those that had joined the cause of vengeance in the name of their countries and masters, had their forehead protectors set on simple dark blue fabric.

The reason for the division was simple. Though it would create some unrest within the ranks, the Nine Tails fought only to defeat the oppressive empire of the Shadowed Sun, they cared little for rule and once their vengeance was complete, they would once again separate and live peacefully among the wild lands, continuing to live as they did before, for the fight.

From what was once a simple tribe, well known but were once treated indifferently by other clans and countries, instantly became the leading spear as the empire of the Shadowed Sun struggled as they were pierced from all corners of their empire. With the endless harassment and ever growing opposition, the empire quickly began to buckle as they lost men at the front lines while with each liberated country, city and village, the forces of the Nine Tails grew.

With what was once an invincible empire, it started to crumble at the rim of its territories as the warriors from the Nine Tails clan began to push back their legions of soldiers. The minor Nine Tails clan steadily became more irritable as they slowly took back land, freeing the populace, which in turn quickly joined the crusade, to fight for their respective countries, uniting under a single banner.

Now with the forces of what was once a small tribe invading their last stronghold, the empire of the faded Shadowed Sun continued fighting bravely, throwing in the last of their might as their own soldiers died on soils they called their home.

Soldiers fought bravely that day, within the abandoned city, spilling blood as they fought to their bitter end, dying for what they believed in.

With fists impacting against the frail body of a devil soldier of the Shadowed Sun, a young man stood proudly on the field of battle as his opponent's dead body impacted with the dry ground, raising dust as the limp body bounced once before laying completely still. Within the air rang the cries of battle and the feeling of war as echoes of the living and dying resounded throughout the decimated walls of a once proud and bustling city.

Garbed in a single tight fighting body suit of simple cloth that was stretched tight against the skin, the young man tensed his muscles out of habit, showing off his toned body for a brief moment before he relaxed again. The body suit itself offered little in the way of protection as it revealed a taut body that flowed into battle unscathed, it was only the skills of his martial arts keeping him balanced on the line that divided life and death. Within a flash, the young man darted into the air as he delivered a graceful reverse spin kick, snapping his opponent's neck in a graceful ark.

Landing softly, the young man took the few moments to tighten his single fingerless black glove that adorned his right hand. Feeling the memories touch him as he pulled the red and block glove down into his hand. They were memories that would stay with him for the rest of his existence, nestled deeply into his heart.

Looking down he momentarily studied his memento. It was a tight black glove with red trimmings at the finger holes and wrist. Small holes left openings for his bare knuckles and a single square centered on the back exposed the back of his hand. Well used, the glove had the deepest meaning of heart.

Raising his head to look about, blonde, spiked hair jounced to and fro before settling back down his head, stopping in front and around his eyes as he felt his forehead protector jostle around his neck with his subtle movements.

Worn loosely, the forehead protector was inscribed with nine lines arcing upwards. They slightly wavy lines represented tails, nine tails to be exact. With the symbolic nine tails centered on a simple sheet of light but durable metal, the forehead protector was completed as it was set on long, blood red fabric that allowed the person to wear it as they wished.

Dodging a few thrown daggers, the young man quickly moved in on his attacker, his unrivaled speed allowing him to enter the opponent's space so quickly that the person had little to no time to react before receiving a straight and powerful kick to the neck, breaking it instantly. Looking around for specific people, the young man allowed his opponent's dead body to fall and was instantly spotted by another opponent.

Quickly rushing in, hoping to capitalize on a young man's absent mind, the attacker's world suddenly exploded in pain as a elbow smashed into the stomach area and was quickly followed by a forceful fist to the face, creating a loud cracking noise that forced the limp and lifeless body to the ground somewhere as other soldiers moved about, ignoring the lifeless body that quickly blended in with the rest.

With a tense moment, the world around suddenly seemed to cave in on itself for a briefest of moments as explosions rocked the ground. Bodies struggled in the air as a dozen invaders and a hand full of defenders was forced up towards the limitless skies.

Dirt, stone and bodies hovered in the air, as the young man quietly landed gracefully as he gazed about, his view glancing over dead bodies of allies and foes. Fire illuminated the scenes, reflecting off scattered rubble and various pools of water, some clean while others were tainted with the vibrant colors of blood and life.

Of the others that went up with him, many landed forcefully, from the dozen allies that were thrown into the air, only four didn't get up. Three of the survivors, injured and disoriented were instantly killed as projectiles pierced their bodies. For another two, they were unfortunate as blades impaled their bodies at close quarters as they attempted to fight back. With the five foes, four were able to survive the explosion and two had used their weapons to impale two soldiers of the invaders, but were in turn quickly cut down by the survivors. Only three allies survived the brutal battle and quickly left to either assist others or rest somewhere safe.

Looking at the carnage of a single skirmish, the young man briefly wondered who had created the original explosive attack that instantly seemed to claim the lives of five people. Guessing that it was one of the Shadowed Sun as it was mainly invading forces that were killed, but it could have also been a miss from his side. In war, such unexpected results such as that were possible.

Brushing a lock of blond hair from his eyes, the unscathed young man dropped his question as he continued to look about while he quickly dispatched another opponent. The thickest of the battles was up ahead, where a haze of blood seemed to pervade in the air. Everywhere he looked there was death and soldiers. Body and soul working in coexistence as individuals quickly moved about, using knowledge of mind to survive and kill.

Sliding to the left and then to the right in order to avoid a blade of fire from another man, the young man gathered soul into his fists, watching as another attacker launched himself at him. With a single blow to the chest, one of the attackers coughed out blood as his chest caved in, instantly killing him. All that the young man saw were the flash of the attacker's forehead protector, a crescent with small spikes on the outside set in ruby red fabric, representing the clan of the Shadowed Sun.

Then in a swift but deadly motion, the young man spun on one foot as he rotated his hips as he lashed out with a single spin kick. The attacker tried to block but felt his body crumple from the single powerful strike. As the attacker was reeling, the young man surged forward and with one decisive strike from his right palm, he ended the life of another soul.

Looking down at the two recent kills, as a warrior of the clan of the Nine Tails, he couldn't but help feeling a flash pity for his opponents, as today would be the final battle and the beginning of the Shadowed Sun's final downfall. With the gleam of sunlight, the young man found himself studying their forehead protectors, or more specifically, the color of the forehead protector's cloth.

Long ago he would have easily mistaken the forehead protectors of the true members of the Nine Tails clan and the Shadowed Sun as they both were set on red cloth, the only difference were the markings and the slightly different color type of the red cloth. Had he not fought in enough battles and been around his clan long enough, he knew that he might have mistaken the two and accidentally attacked an ally. Gritting his teeth, the young man found yet another reason why he preferred the single combat styles he was raised to, it was simpler.

"Graaa!" a man cried out in pain as his left leg vanished as a ball of pure fire engulfed it. Falling onto his rear while holding a broken arm, he gritted his teeth as he saw a few more orbs of fire heading for him.

Turning around, the young man quickly took note of the situation and seeing how the injured man wore the markings of the Nine Tails set on red fabric, he didn't hesitate for a moment as he rushed in.

Grabbing the injured man, he effortlessly dodged the incoming fireballs and stopping a few feet away. Turning around, he watched as a hooded soldier of the Shadowed Sun quickly drew out a short sword and began to charge when suddenly the body stiffened with a muffled cough and slumped to the ground, blood slowly seeping from the person's mouth and nose.

The young man quickly wondered what other injuries the man before him could have sustained but his thoughts were quickly interrupted.

"My Lord…" the man stated raggedly through clenched teeth as he held his injured body to himself. There was recognition etched deeply in his voice as pain racked his body, yet he absolutely refused to be insolent to one who was considered a legend among warriors. Breathing heavily, the man gritted his teeth as he slowly lost consciousness, his breathing falling into a ragged pattern.

"Naruto-kun!" a gentle voice cried out at him, catching his attention immediately as this was one of the people he had been searching for.

Looking up, the young man couldn't but feel pride as a young woman gracefully walked up to him. She was robed in a long white cape that fell to the ground, the hood withdrawn leaving long beautiful, black hair to flow down her back, reaching close to the ground. With the long cape around her, nothing could have been distinguished about her, other then the fact that she had a gentle and serene face, which was currently brightly smiling.

Accompanied by a guard of six, who were watching their surroundings intently and attacking those who would harm their mistress. One of the guards then silently walked up to the dead body and deftly withdrew a few clear needles of glass from the person's body, revealing the bloodstained weapons as blood seem to drip onto the earth from crisp air. Remembering the reaction of the victim, the young man quickly came to the conclusion of poison, a very powerful poison.

With a nod at the injured man, the young woman wordlessly commanded one of her guards to tend to the man. Kneeling before the soldier, one of the guards simply hefted the man into their arms and carried him away to the closest medic for treatment.

"Kasumi nee-chan!" the young man stated as he smiled brightly. He was always happy when they were near. There was a great deal of pride as he stared at the lady before him. She was his adoptive older sister, who with a gentle heart made him feel at peace while showing him the art of combat that she had only revealed to one other. It made him feel special. His sister was strong and he was ever proud of being considered family.

"Here you are. I was wondering were you had gotten off to." Kasumi said aloud as she studied the young man before her. "Silver dearest would have been irritated if I couldn't have found you sooner."

Hearing about his adoptive older brother, Naruto couldn't help but form a lopsided grin. If there were any person he could ever idolize it would have been his brother. Strong and lazy, that was his bro in a nutshell.

Considering what his brother could have wanted, Naruto quickly gave up thinking as his brother was erratic with his wants, ranging from fetching ice cream to assassination in the middle of a pitched battle as he relaxed while others threw a multitude of weapons at him. He did ask for them both that one time in a similar situation, if he recalled correctly…

"Silver dearest wants you to head over to the east gates and take the eastern half of the castle. We've pushed them back that far but there is no doubt about the inner defenses being strong, so you are assigned twenty-two squads of the first division. You are to engage with any Lords that you encounter, leave the fighting to the others." Kasumi finished as she gave Naruto a warm hug and as she released him, holding him at arms distance as she gently patted his cheek. "You have grown Naruto. This is the last battle so fight your hardest and be confident in your abilities."

"Thank you nee-sama. I will." Naruto replied as he thought on what he was just told. First division, which only held soldiers of the first rank, meaning that they have all passed the rite of warriors and were considered the elites of the tribe... It reminded him of days long past.

The first division would have been the equivalent rank of jounins. And he wasn't just given warriors, but squads. Full squads, which meant that each squad, containing four warriors, would also have a person, like himself, a being imbued with a spirit of a nine tailed fox demon…

With a nod, Naruto gave a quick smile as he ran off towards the east gate, the words, "I'm off!" lingering in the air as he vanished, heading towards his destination.

Smiling after the vanished Naruto, Kasumi couldn't help but give an approving smile. She remembered Naruto all those years past as if it were yesterday, when she had first seen him. It was on a rainy day that soaked even the endless sky and before her stood her beloved and by him stood a young boy who was soaked and so full energy yet was also so full of pain.

Raising a left silver, fingerless glove that hugged her hand. Delicate fingers were shown along with pale skin. There was a single small opening centered on the backhand of her glove, while also sporting perfectly fitted openings for her knuckles. Kasumi effortlessly stopped a thrown kunai between her index and middle finger as her attacker closed in.

With a approving smile of someone with enough skill or luck to pass her guards, Kasumi waited for a few moments as the person closed in the for the kill. Then in a blink of an eye, the attacker laid twitching on the ground, the kunai embedded in the heart as he finished blinking.

With a slight frown, the young woman scanned her surroundings as she searched for another person. Spotting an area with a haze of blood in the air, she then simply started to trot off, her guards moving with her with the ease of experience. Though they, the guards, were there to protect their mistress. They fought with the confidence that they had their master's trust and the ease of mind, as they knew that even without them there, their mistress could as easily handle herself.

Over on the eastern side of the battle, near the castle, the area was calm as in the distance laid the eastern half of the castle. Protected by large thick walls with only a single massive iron gate for entry, the castle was well fortified with guards manning the battlements.

As he drew closer, the feeling of raw power that hummed in the air increased as over twenty squads of first ranked clan members stood at the ready, prepped to fight and sacrifice their lives for the good of their clan and for vengeance.

With a small step that drew almost all attention to him, Naruto couldn't help but once again feel embarrassed as the warriors present kneeled before him, showing their respect and loyalty to one who was accepted by Silver. Their words so full of pride as in a single voice, they acknowledged him, "Naruto-sama."

Raising a hand in the traditional gesture to rise, Naruto found himself reminiscing about his past. Once long ago, this was all he had wished for, strength and acknowledgement. However, now that it stood here before him, he couldn't help but feel odd and out of place.

These were people who had accepted him for what he was; a human cursed with the fate of the fox demon, yet instead of hatred or fear, they simply accepted him as one of their own. It was here that he found other like him and gain acceptance. With that acceptance, however, it became odd receiving such great respect from people he considered comrades, and in the end, he was divided between the happiness of acceptance and the wish that they would stop doing that so that he would feel less a fool.

Looking at the warriors that stood before him, Naruto found that he could effortlessly pick out those that had a fox demon within them as they emanated enough spiritual strength for their own squad. They stood proudly by their comrades, smiles bright or grim as they waited for their respected leader to speak.

The clan of the Nine Tailed Fox Demons was an odd clan that was centered on those with the burdening curse of a demon fox trapped within them. It was here that those people could learn how to live with their curse and when they found acceptance it became almost an obsession for many to protect those that have accepted them, training themselves so that they could harness the strength of the demon within them and making themselves stronger.

"Naruto-sama. We have already been informed of the general layout of the eastern grounds. Our information indicates that there in only one Demon Lord inside… we are prepared, we await your signal," a captain informed as he unfolded a map, showing were the Demon Lord of the Shadowed Sun resided. With a nod, Naruto glanced before him at the far walls. Then looking at those who stood before him, numbering almost half of the first division, Naruto gave a slow nod at the door.

"We head to the gate." He stated solemnly as he made a signal for his small army to begin to move forward.

The iron doors seemed to rush upon them as they charged forward. Small metal weapons were thrown between the two forces as the soldiers quickly came to a halt, dodging thrown weapons while returning them in kind.

The defenders lined the high walls the stretched to either side of the massive gates and a few dozen short lived soldiers also once protected the ground before the steel entrance, but were quickly disposed of.

Looking up at the defenders, simple humans mixed in with devils here and there, they stood defiantly as they continued to rain down their weapons, their efforts futile as they had yet to injure a single invader. Naruto slowly gave a sly grin as he raised his hand and preformed a string seals, then announced his technique, "Kage Bunshin no Justsu!"

Dozens upon dozens of shadow clones multiplied themselves from him and quickly leapt up into the air, each clone then unsheathed their shurikens from hidden pockets at the back of the waist and began raining down death onto the defenders that sat upon the high walls.

Standing before the iron gates, Naruto absentmindedly looked behind himself as he watched his unscathed comrades pick off the soldiers on the high walls as his clones continued to harass the living.

Holding his right fist before his chest knuckles pointed outwards, Naruto began to form the energy of his spirit, allowing it to flow into his arms as he began to lightly concentrate. With a few spare moments he continued to draw in power, preparing himself for a massive strike.

Looking up, he saw his clones continue to fight. Already more then half were dead, but that was to be expected as he had given them so little spiritual power to begin with. However the surviving clones, having already exhausted their shuriken supply, were now in hand to hand, slaying the remaining survivors of the first assault on the walls directly above the gate.

Seeing how the majority of the defenders were outright slaughtered with his inferior powered clones, Naruto couldn't help but once again wonder how strong he had gotten since those days of his youth.

Behind him stood the mass of the first division, waiting patiently for their signal to move in and begin their attack. Knowing whom the young man before them was, the younger brother of the legendary legend, Silver, they expected a big signal for them and their enemies.

Finally charging up enough energy, Naruto let out a feral grin as he drew back his fist to his side and with the cry of, "Majin Rekkou Satsu!" Naruto forced his fists through the iron gates as he released his pent up strength, sending the two slabs of iron back, the metal doors screeching against itself as it became bent and misshapen before landing in an open space, revealing shocked troops that were standing at the ready for them. He always liked dramatic entrances.

As the iron doors screeched to a halt, the twenty-two squads of the first division of the Nine Tails clan smiled at the rather eccentric signal and instantly invaded, drawing out their weapons as they opened a bloody path for their leader to pass through.

The sounds of metal against metal and the screams of short lived agony suddenly filled the air as the elite troops began to plow through the small army of guards that awaited them. It was no challenge as they were no more then common cannon fodder, souls used to simply win through sheer numbers.

If the invading squads were less then those of the first ranks, they would have eventually fallen to the mass of people waiting for them. Unfortunately for the defenders, those who were invading were not simple soldiers and they effortlessly slashed through the ranks, killing everything within distance.

It took a several minutes before the area was cleared. The area of the outer quarter was almost completely devoid of anything but space. Before them stood the grand castle, its many towers jetting into the sky above them, stretching away from them. A single large metal gate formed the single entrance on the west side.

Looking around, Naruto knew that there were no survivors from the defending soldiers of the Shadowed Sun. The guards had simply fought to the death, gaining his respect as he acknowledged them as fine warriors, those who were sacrificing their lives in the defense of their home.

Walking forward towards the castle's eastern gate, Naruto made sure as not to step on any of the dead bodies out of respect. Even against the obviously superior force, the guards had thrown themselves against the enemy. To him, there were fewer forms of strength of a clan and its warriors then those who were would stand their ground against the might of those who were obviously more powerful then they were.

Walking through the eastern metal gates of the castle, Naruto was surprised to find that they were unguarded and unlocked. Looking around he found himself staring into a long narrow corridor that only allowed a few men to walk abreast. Feeling only a vague sense of soul before him, Naruto calmly rushed forward to meet his adversary, confident in his skills to keep him alive if any traps or ambushes appeared in their path.

Darkness trailed them as they steadily continued through the dark corridor. The only sounds were the whispers of their feet as they left the ground, pushing their bodies forward through the darkness. Then, suddenly, the corridor ended as light radiated before them. Confidently walking into the light, Naruto slowed to a stop as he studied what lay before him.

Before them, stretching high into the ceiling and running into the distance stood a giant antechamber. Long, large royal carpentry stretched from their feet to a raised pedestal were a great throne sat. Pillars of white stone lined up beside the red carpet, working their way to the end, supporting the massive ceiling that floated above. Hundreds of candles were fixated to the stone pillars, casting a bright glow across the room and revealing a shrouded figure sitting on the throne.

Looking at the far walls, Naruto frowned slightly at the lack of greeting they had received. Finally done looking around, he had realized that there were only two other doors in the area. Though he couldn't see behind the giant throne and the one who sat on it, he suspected that the two doors directly to his far left and right were the only other entrances.

"GREETINGS!" a grand voice boomed across the room. "YOU SEEMED TO HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR." The voice continued to speak, sounding as though great slabs of rocks were grating against one another.

"You know of our purpose?" Naruto replied aloud at the figure that sat on the throne.

"HEH, HEH, HEH. I KNOW WELL OF WHO YOU ARE, AND OF YOUR PURPOSE HERE. OH GRAND WARRIORS OF THE CLAN OF THE NINE TAILS. HOWEVER, YOUR JOURNY SHALL END HERE AND NOW..." The figure stated as it stood up as it opened its eyes, revealing glowing red eyes that were enhanced by the dim darkness around the throne.

Instantaneously, everyone put up his or her guard as the figure began to emanate an incredibly awesome power as it slowly moved forward.

"SHALL WE FIGHT ONE ON ONE? OR SHALL YOU ALL FIGHT ME AT ONCE…" the figure asked as it moved into clear view, showing a man made of what looked like pure, light gray rock. Clothed lightly in simple cloth of a light brown color, the man was huge, standing effortlessly at two and a half meters tall.

"General Granite Bars." Naruto stated allowed with a respectful bow. He was a known warrior who had the might to tear even full-fledged, demon imbued warriors apart with his raw strength.

With a feral grin, the rock man looked down at them as he came to a stop a dozen meters away. With a massive muscular chest and thick arms, the man clenched and unclenched his huge fists in anticipation. Garbed in only baggy pants and loose, sleeveless shirt, he emanated power as they all saw his stone flesh.

"WHO WILL BE FIRST?" the man asked as he pounded his right fist into his open left palm, creating a small filament of dust as he ground some of his skin to dust.

With a simple nod at each entrance, the warriors of the first division divided in half and promptly left, as the giant man of rock watched and prepared to follow.

"I shall be your opponent." Naruto stated openly, stopping the giant man who turned down and let out a chuckle. "I am known as Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

The chuckling promptly ceased as the glowing red eyes fixated themselves on the young man before him. "RED HOWLING…" the man said as the name rolled off his stone tongue, instantly recognizing the name and the young man's warrior's name.

"Iron General." Naruto replied in kind, showing of his respect of one who had also achieved a warrior's name in the endless fields of battle.

They had met once, long ago and had sparred. Though Naruto himself was young then, when he had no warrior's name. He had greatly amused the Iron General and with the promise of a stronger future, Naruto had been left alive with the sting of an absolute yet humble defeat.

"HA, HA, HA, HA! TO THINK THAT I ONCE AGAIN GET A CHANCE TO FIGHT SILVER'S BELOVED BROTHER!" the general laughed out loud as he raised his hands and clenched them into a fist, the feeling of rushing energy and anticipation flowing through his body. "COME, LET ME TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"

Raising his own fists in reply, Naruto tightened his fists as he leapt forward, gliding under the general's defense with a slide and then reversing his slide into a reverse spinning roundhouse kick as he slid behind the general, aiming at his defenseless waistline.

With a meager grunt, the general's body swayed to the left slightly as he gave a small smile. "MY TURN…" the general said as he turned and stomped the ground, crushing the stone underneath while Naruto leapt off to the right side.

Landing for an instant, Naruto once again leapt to the right, landing behind the general once again as he planted his left foot onto the ground as he raised his right leg slightly and unleashed his strongest standing kick as he put all his weight into his rotating thighs.

With a slam, pain lanced through Naruto's leg as he chipped of small bits of rock from the man's waist, dropping from under his shirt and onto the stone floor below.

Turning around quickly with the sound of grating stones, the general slapped his to hands together, forming a strong wind with his mighty attack that forced Naruto to leap into the air, lest the massive hands crush him.

However, just as quickly as he had smashed his hands together, he as quickly separated them, pushing away the last vestiges of wind and air, creating a small vacuum that was ever so quickly began to draw Naruto downwards.

Reacting out of pure instinct, Naruto gathered soul into his body as he deftly landed, and was barely able to react as the general drew back his fists and with the announcing cry of, "MAJIN REKKOU SASTSU!" he punched Naruto aiming at his chest.

Pain exploded in Naruto's right shoulder as he barely dodged the attack, which sent him flying backwards, his entire right shoulder crushed to nothing. Extending his good left arm, he tried to stop his flight forcefully as he flew towards the closest pillar. Unfortunately as he pushed down his left arm, he felt his arm strained and it twisted to its limit before it snapped painfully.

Rolling for a few meters, Naruto felt other bones crack, pop and snap as the back of his body forcefully slammed into the large stone pillar, his body warping into a arc around its base. Shock raced through his mind as he registered what technique his opponent had just used. The Majin Rekkou Satsu. A technique that he had used only scant minutes ago.

Groaning slightly, Naruto was shaken from the raw power that the stone man's Majin Rekkou Satsu held. Though it was now obvious that they both knew the same fight style of Soul Fist, Naruto felt fear as the general simply had more raw power behind his attacks.

Painfully getting to his feet as he stood on his one good left leg, his right was basically destroyed from the single attack and the extra damage from rolling into the pillar.

"IS THAT ALL, RED HOWLING? WHAT WOULD YOUR GREAT BROTHER, SILVER-SAMA, SAY IF HE SAW YOU NOW?" the stone man taunted, but held the name of Silver in high regard. They had tangled once, with himself, the Iron General defeated. He was awed as that was the second person to have ever defeated him in single combat. The first being his master, the Golden General.

Heh, I take a small nap and find you getting your ass kicked. Damned brat… a growling voice proclaimed from deep within Naruto's mind.

"Stupid fox, always taking naps at the worst times…" Naruto whispered to himself as he gruelingly took a step forward.

Bah, damned Brat, always helpless without me. The voice proclaimed as he saw through Naruto's eyes. The Iron General again eh? The voice stated angrily as the energy of red soul began to collect around Naruto's battered body. Lets show him who is king this time! Naruto!

The general was forced to frown slightly as he saw the young man before him begin to exert a large aura of soul, with streams of energy spiraling about him. Unlike the usual amounts of strength that the boy had displayed before, the new form of energy was a deep blood red that spiraled around. Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the rush of energy flowing through his veins and soul, healing his body as he tilted his head upwards while arching his body backwards.

Then with a forceful howl as the streams of red spiraling energy reached their peak, the stone floor around them cracked, sending out chips of sharp stone that flew in all directions, sending a few chips to embed themselves in the general's rock skin.

"HAH! SO YOU SHOW YOUR TRUE SELF AT LAST, RED HOWLING!" the general stated with cool joy. He would get a good fight today.

The spiraling energy calmed down to nothingness, the red streams of pure soul disappearing as the young man opened his lowered his head, revealing dark red eyes with his black pupils becoming vertical slits.

"GOOD! COME RED HOWLING! SHOW ME YOUR TRUE STRENGTH! THE STRENGTH THAT EARNED YOU A WARRIOR'S NAME!" The general screamed as he readied himself for a stronger assault.

"Here I come…" Naruto said simply as he took a step forward and suddenly vanished.

Concentrating, the general felt the movements of his foe by tracking the immense power that his opponent gave off. If he compared himself and Naruto's he would have said that they were almost even. Almost.

Then with a stated attack, Naruto appeared in the air as he dove downward, his right leg extended out. The energy of his attack was vibrant as he shot downwards, his attack name ringing in the still air.

"Sword!!!"

Raising his left arm to block Naruto's 'Sword' attack, the general gritted his teeth as he felt his arm beginning to crumble from the single blow. Throwing his left arm outwards, forcing Naruto back into the air who landed softly a few meters away.

Looking down at his left arm, Granite Bars gritted his teeth as he saw that more then half of his left forearm was demolished into nothingness. His arm was more then a hundred centimeters thick yet half of it was effortlessly ground to dust.

Grin turning into a snarling smile, the general let loose a grand laugh that echoed throughout the room. "I AM IMPRESSED RED HOWLING. YOUR FIGHTING STYLE, SHADOW SKILL IS IMPRESSIVE AND YOU HAVE SHOWN ME YOUR TRUE FORM, NOW LET ME SHOW YOU MINE!!!"

Clenching his fists, he drew his elbows to his side as he let out a deep-throated growl. The ground around him then vanished, forming a good 4 meters crater around were he stood, creating a donut like bowl with a cloud of thick dust hanging in the air, around the general himself.

Then the dust began to float into the general. Slowly at first, it quickly picked up speed until the air was once again clean, leaving a new dark gray skinned general of stone.

"THIS IS MY BODY OF IRON. COME RED HOWLING, LET US DANCE THE DANCE OF DEATH!" the general proclaimed as he rushed forward, his fist smashing the area of were Naruto once stood.

Weary of the suddenly quicker and undoubtedly stronger General Granite Bars, Naruto felt the tingle of excitement run down his spine.

Fun, Fun! The voice of the fox demon echoed in his head.

With a mad dash, Naruto quickly unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, lashing out against the giant as he circled the iron man.

Without even blocking, the general stood as he took the attacks, not even twitching as he body swayed slightly from side to side under the torrent of blows. Then as if growing bored, he effortlessly snatched Naruto's left leg and swinging him around, he threw the surprised body into same pillar, forming a denting crater on the once smooth surface.

Falling onto his feet, Naruto felt the spirit of his fox demon begin its healing with a muffled Ouch . Knowing now that his simple attacks were useless, Naruto turned to plan B.

Placing his right fist before him, Naruto began to draw on as much strength of soul as possible, using his own and his demon fox's to his body's limit. He then began to charge his body with energy, giving himself greater speed and power as he began to claw at his limits.

Seeing what Naruto was doing, the general responded in kind, know full well on what was going to happen. Raising his own right fist, he too began to draw on his own energy of soul, flowing it into his own body and encasing his flesh with power.

Reaching their limits, the general grunted in respect as he guessed that Naruto's limits in the art of Soul Fist were above those of even his own, great as they were.

Clenching and unclenching his right, gloved fist, Naruto then sprang forward as the general did the same, their voice intertwining as they proclaimed the same attack.

"JIGOKU HA ZAN GEKI!"

Their right fists slammed into one another, separated by a bare centimeter as their energy of soul clashed. Then as they both pushed forwards, their fists touched, creating an explosion of power as the air around them reached their limits, forcing the two combatants back.

The air around them was fogged with dust. With neither fighter able to see one another, it gave them a few simple moments to reflect on the outcome of their single attack.

Flexing his broken right hand, Naruto let loose a grin as pain lanced through his arm. He felt the recoil but he doubted that his opponent came out unscathed as well. Already the soul energy of his fox demon's spirit began its work of regeneration, mending broken bones and torn flesh.

Then the dust began to settle, giving Naruto a good look at his opponent.

On the other side, the general was grinning broadly. His right hand was demolished to nothingness, leaving only a jagged stump behind. However, the wound began to shake slightly as though like water, rock flowed forth and began to form itself back into a hand. Flexing newly regenerated fingers, the general's grin turned into a smile as he looked up.

With a frown, Naruto tensed his body momentarily as he readied himself and in one smooth motion he burst forward and threw a straight right punch at the general's stomach area.

Bone cracked and crunched as flesh met solid metal.

With a small cry of pain Naruto pulled back his fists as he tried to leap to the left. The general on the other hand, simply pulled back his left fist as Naruto finished his small leap and with alarming speed, he threw his own straight punch, catching Naruto squarely in the chest. There was a small distortion in the air as the fist impacted, sending the smaller body flying back a few dozen meters.

With a groan, Naruto got to his feet. Breathing hard, he felt the strain from blocking the general's simple punch as he lightly trailed a finger from were the massive fist had impacted on him.

Staring at the steady young man before him, the general let loose a small frown, as he wondered what exactly didn't happen. He had caught his opponent by surprise meaning that there should have at least been broken bones or such. But judging by how his opponent stood and acted, injury seemed to be the last thing that affected him.

On the one hand the young man could have been faking his rather good health or more likely the attack had a much lesser impact then the general himself first believed. He had used the same direct punch on many other souls that had stood against him and through such battles he knew the injuries that a mortal body could sustain.

From the moment that the straight punch connected, the raw power behind such a blow should have caved the rib cage inward, slashing at lung, heart and stomach, severely impeding the person from almost any action.

As Naruto stood before him however, the general saw no such signs of injuries and he also highly doubted that the young man had become so synched with his fox demon that injuries could have miraculously healed upon damage.

No, that couldn't be it.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, the general thought back to when he had thrown his punch as something about it nagged at his mind. He remembered the punch connecting and then there was a slight disturbance in the air as his fist hit and threw back the body…

Eyes wide, the general instantly recognized the tell tale sign of a specific technique. The Will of Soul. Replaying the disturbance as fist hit flesh, the general was suddenly sure beyond a shadow of a doubt why the man was still able to effortlessly stand.

It was the Will of Soul, or Will of whatever form of common energy of the body was known as. It was the simple technique that used such energy to form a protective shell around the person. When using the shell, the person then could proceed to deflect almost any attack, let it be elemental attacks, spiritual energy attacks or even mundane attacks such as fists. It was an almost invulnerable technique that allowed nothing through.

However, as such a high and mighty technique, it had a catch. It used up energy, lots of energy. So much as a matter of fact that even though it was simple to perform, it required a huge amount of energy to block anything more then a small pebble or two that were thrown at high speeds. Making it impractical for most to use as the majority could only form a small, thin shell that only protected a small portion of their body.

Only people with excessive amounts of energy could ever use the technique effectively. Those who were imbued with the demonic nine tailed fox demons and had learnt how to use the powerful and plentiful soul energy had trouble making such a technique practical as though many could use it to defend while training and standing still, using such a defensive shell in battle was entirely different as it drained far to much energy and took much too much concentration to use.

But, for those that had mastered the Will of Soul, they instantly became a foe to fear as no attacks could penetrate, making it extremely hard as almost any attack was futile and left the attacker open to almost any attack. Thankfully there was almost no one who could use the technique effectively.

Thinking about known masters, the general's eyes narrowed as he remembered the only known master of the Will of Soul.

Silver, legendary legend of the Nine Tails.

Thinking back to the only encounter that he himself had fought the impossibly strong warrior. Every attack he preformed was block or deflected before Silver grew weary and in a single blow, brought his iron body to its knees.

"IT SEEMS THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR BROTHER'S FOOTSTEPS. MASTERING THE WILL OF SOUL IS NO SMALL FEAT." The general commented as he clenched his fists tightly before him and charged forward, delivering a massive punch aimed at the chest area.

Thinking quickly, Naruto gritted his teeth as he went through his options. Throwing most of them out the window, he clenched his jaw shut as he raised his arms before him, crossing them behind one another as he took the force of the general's attack head on. Stone chipped, cracked and shattered under his feet as he was forced back a good meter.

Breathing hard as he had just spent a great deal of energy to block the attack, Naruto came to the single conclusion that he could only win in one of two ways. The general had a body of iron, making him incredibly hard to injure, proven by his now healed, broken bones and with the man's ability to regenerate severe wounds like missing hands and what not, it mean that he would have to use a single overwhelmingly powered attack to destroy more then what the general could regenerate.

Gathering energy into himself, Naruto bared his teeth as he once again reached his limits before he allowed his energy to flow through his entire body, flowing into his limbs and muscles. Then as he felt that he was prepared, he ran towards the general, disappearing before the general's eyes as he ran ahead at full speed.

The general's eyes widened slightly as Naruto vanished from sight, but didn't allow it to bother him, as his opponent had not vanished from all of the senses.

Timing his attack, the general let loose a punch as Naruto was about to let loose a punch of his own. With a fist to the face, Naruto was revealed as he was thrown back a few meters. Instantly recovering Naruto got up and attacked again.

Sensing on how the young man moved, the general allowed himself to get struck at the back as he simultaneously elbowed the man behind him. Reeling from a timed blow, Naruto stumbled back before he caught himself and attack again, and again, and again, each time meeting with a same fate.

Hopping onto his feet from the last counter attack, Naruto wiped a smear of blood from his lips as the general's attacks were beginning to get through. It was a sure sign that he was weakening.

The general look fine and was simply standing there, doing nothing as Naruto recovered. Looking down at his own bloody hands, the Will of Soul only able to block so much before it began to buckle. Considering that defending the rest of his body more important, Naruto had stopped protecting his hands after the second and third blow. The energy of the nine tails was currently fixing up his broken fists but even the nine tails had its limits, high as they were.

That stupid pebble is stronger then he looks. Your attacks aren't even affecting him. All your doing is breaking your own bones from each attack. Stop wasting time and lets go! The fox demanded, as it knew that there was only one option left.

"Alright, alright. General, let us end this here and now!" Naruto exclaimed as he tightened every muscle in his body in preparation for what he was going to do next. The general simply raised a stone eyebrow in response and waited.

Clenching his jaw, Naruto tensed his body as he began to turn his thoughts inwards, clearing his mind as he formed an image in his mind.

It was lines that had a clear-cut outline that swirled into itself. It was a symbol of a previous life that he once lived. It was the symbol that he held dear to himself as it represented those who he held dearest to his heart.

At the center of his mind, the symbol of the Leaf represented himself and with that he began to concentrate, forming the energy of soul that he focus around and into the symbol himself. What began as only light ribbons of energy soon became a absolute stream of pure power that coiled itself around the leaf symbol, wrapping itself around the lines that defined the symbol's figure.

General Granite Bars took a cautious step backwards as he saw the young man before him began to draw on incredible amounts of energy that began to wrap around the body. Tightly formed streams of red energy that swirled around and into the body broke the stone underneath from the sheer power being exerted. The muscles themselves seemed to bulge slightly as they became hyper defined. Then as the power settled, creating a gentle breeze that rippled from the young man as he finished, Naruto opened his eyes.

Light seemed to fade as he look forward his black slitted pupils seemed to be drawing in light, making the red eyes seem more viscous and deadly as he focused on his opponent.

Raising his fists before him, Naruto released a calm breath as he stared into his opponent's eyes. His stance was now loose, unlike the braced form he was utilizing before as this style of fighting was unforgiving and a loose stance meant greater speed and strength.

Tightening his fists, the general felt his stone skins begin to crack from his raw strength as he readied himself for what he knew was going to come. He had seen this style before, the ultimate martial arts style, that which exceeds all boundaries, Kamui.

His knowledge of this style was flawless as the entire style itself was based on a single emphasis, speed. It was overwhelming speed that flowed into unstoppable strength that could not be rivaled. The absolute style that had no equal as it unsurpassed speed kept the user in constant high-speed motion.

However, this style placed incredible strain on the entire body. At least seven times that for the simplest of motions, making it a doubled-edged style that crushed the opponent as the user destroyed themselves.

Naruto slumped into his stance as he placed his right foot before his left, raising his fists accordingly before he relaxed, allowing his fists to open. Opening his hands in a gentle fashion, as though he was holding a delicate fan in his hands, Naruto directed his open hand towards the general, his gesture showing that he was ready.

Standing still, the general waited knowing full well that if he let his guard down for even a moment, the battle could end in an instant.

Raising his left foot so that he balanced it on his toes, Naruto ran forward and hopped into the air, his left hip behind him as he turned to his right, ramming his left knee forward, towards the general's broad chest.

Coughing up blood, the general saw Naruto move right before he was forced backwards into the air, the deafening sound of something slamming into rock echoing throughout the chamber.

Getting to his feet, the general frowned as he saw his opponent standing a good two meters away, with his right hand raised towards him in a curious openhanded gesture.

Looking down, the general clenched his teeth as he examined the many cracks and miniature creator in his chest. With a thought, the cracks were already healing as he raised his head to grin. Raising his fists, the general didn't have time to blink before the young man before him vanished once again. Stretching out his senses, the general panicked ever so slightly as he found he couldn't study his foe at all.

He felt Naruto's soul move in a circle around him, but what he felt and saw were different. As the sense of soul moved, a trail of cracking stone followed a few scant seconds later. Then in a giant attack, the general felt his left arm blown clean off as his foe materialized midair, then disappearing again. Thus began a harrowing storm of light blows that cracked and destroyed the iron defense that the general had prided himself on.

Naruto seemed to only materialize right before and lingered a second behind every attack. It was a hail of kick and knees as Naruto aimed his attacks at more vulnerable and vital spots.

"YOUR ATTACK WAS QUICK AND STRONG, HOWEVER, HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP UP THAT SPEED? DOES IT NOT STRAIN YOUR BODY AND DRAIN YOUR SOUL? IT IS SAID THAT POWER WITHOUT SPEED IS USELESS, HOWEVER, SPEED WITHOUT STAMINA IS EQUALLY SO. SHOULD YOU TIRE OUT BEFORE I DO, IT IS OVER. THIS IS A TEST OF OUR ENDURANCE, COME RED HOWLING!" the general screamed aloud as he once again began to summon on the earth around him, calling it to heal his wounds and injuries.

Stopping a dozen meters away from the general, Naruto paused as he felt the pain in his body freeze him for a scant few moments. Pain arced and laced through his body as he allowed himself to recover.

Lets finish this. Use that final attack… the fox stated as it tried its best to heal the injuries that the style, Kamui, brought on.

Nodding once, Naruto felt memories of the single mentioned technique surface. It was a technique only passed by word of mouth and it belonged to the martial arts style of Shadow Skill. The final attack technique, Kanon. He had learnt it from… a friend… someone who had also given him his precious glove.

"It ends here, General." Naruto stated calmly as he raised his fists before him, centering them at shoulder height.

"COME!!" the general replied aloud, his body braced for any possible attack.

Stone chipped and cracked as Naruto forced his body forward, time slowing down as he dashed towards his opponent and leapt into the air, releasing his style of Kamui as he reached the peak of his jump.

The general's eyes widened as the young man materialized above him and began to fall down. Seeing what his opponent was about to do, he raised his arms in preparation for what he guessed, Naruto's strongest attack.

Twisting in the air, Naruto made a single turn as lashed out his right leg, the words, "KANON!" springing from his mouth as his foot slammed into the general's raised arms.

Iron crumbled as from the foot stemmed a diamond shaped attack of pure energy, drilling into his opponent, passing the general's raised guards and striking directly at the body.

The energy collected and as it reached its peek, a eruption formed, blanketing all senses with nothing but overwhelming power.

The explosion rocked the eastern half the castle, jarring the walls and startling those within range.

Dust settled, allowing the standing Naruto to gaze at what was left of his opponent.

Below him laid the remains of the General Granite Bars who was left with a severed left arm that lay a few dozen centimeters away from the main torso. Only the head and right arm remained intact on the body, the lower half vaporized in the single strike. A pool of light gray blood collected around the cracked and ruined body, leaking from the general's hard lips.

"AHAHA… AHA… HA…" the general laughed in spurts of coughs, his voice still strong. "YOU HAVE DIScoVERED THE WEAKness OF THE iron BODY OF mINe. SPEed withOUt sTAMINa IS USELEss. BUT SPEED AND stamINA IS poWER…" the general exclaimed as his voice began to weaken.

Naruto watched impassively as he gave a nod to the man's last words. Watching at the collecting pool of light gray blood, he wondered why he didn't see any when he had previously destroyed the man's arms before…

"UZUMAKI NARUTO… No… RED HOWLING!!!" the general yelled out as he raised his one right arm in a gesture of respect. Reaching up, he clasped his opponent with a strong hand and a feral grin. "YOU wErE A GRAnD WARRIOR! BECOME STRONG… sTRonGer Then Me and SILVER-sama… YOU ARE STORNG! Be proud of your skills…" the general gasped out as he fell into another fit of coughing.

"YOU ARE… THIRD to DEFEAT me… Long live the FiGHT! SHALL we meet IN THE fight agaIn soMEdaY my FrienD!" the general exclaimed as his right hand shook slightly, before becoming lax and Naruto watched calmly as the general's body turned into dust, leaving behind only a silhouette of the once proud warrior.

A tear escaped his right eye, a tear that was simply wiped away.

Naruto bowed to his opponent, as he knew that the man was full of honor. He was a grand fighter and deserved respect.

Looking around briefly, Naruto hoped that he would remember this fight as he carried the wishes of his defeated foe. There was a wish and burden here, for him to become the strongest warrior in the grand ten thousand year history of the Nine Tails clan.

Quickly running to the stairs, Naruto simply chose the closest one, as he knew that they would meet up at the top. From the top he could signal his victory.

Bodies littered the floor as the aftermath of his squads fought their way to the upper levels of the castle. Their duties were to simply clear the way for Naruto himself to fight the Lords of the Shadowed Sun.

After a few more stairs, Naruto came to the top. The skies stretched out before him as he looked around himself. His squads littered the top of one of many of the castle's towers. The city itself expanded before him, the plumes of smoke spreading from the many fires that lit the city in a glow of red and orange.

At the center of the roof stood a giant pole that held the crest of the Shadowed Suns. Behind him stood the city and the expansive castle bellowed before him. Before him stood three other identical towers and they seemed to align into a cross, the center boasting a even greater tower that dwarfed its lesser brethrens.

Turning around, Naruto found himself staring at the city it seemed as though the majority of the fighting had finally stopped. Raising his heads, Naruto looked at the castle, seeing three other towers like his as he walked to the pole and with a flourish raised the flag of the clan of the Nine Tails.

Looking at the other three towers, Naruto smiled as he saw the Nine Tails flag raised high upon their poles as well.

Looking to the center tower, no flag waved which meant that the final battle was still being waged there. Though he had wanted to fight, he knew that he wasn't ready for that yet. The ruler of the clan of the Shadowed Sun was a demonic being that was considered the closest to god itself. No one had yet to defeat him, making him legendary figure.

However, the clan of the Nine Tails had the legendary legend, Silver, who in his own right was also considered a being close to god and as such, it was Silver who was elected to go battle the leader of the Shadowed Sun.

Sitting down, Naruto guessed that it was to be a long match and since he had time sot spare, he would use it to recover from the usage of Kamui. Relaxing against the pole, Naruto closed his eyes as he allowed himself to take a nap.

The castle rumbled violently, forcing Naruto to open his eyes as he immediately felt his older brother's nine tailed fox demon power up. Eyes wide, he stared at the center tower as he felt an ungodly amount of power being drawn to a center point.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto heard the breathing of his comrades, their expression similar as they waited for the outcome of the battle as a second power rose up, rivaling the strength of their greatest warrior.

Everything seemed still and frozen as the two immense sources of strength began to move towards each other. There was clash and the surrounding walls of the tower exploded, forcing debris in all direction as two figures were revealed.

The first was a massive gold creature with giant leather wings. Horn sprouted from what looked like a gazing skull with glowing red eyes of pure power. A tanned hide held numerous wounds that bled purple blood. A single wing was torn to shreds, hanging limply as its twin stood erect. The thing's right arm was lacerated, spilling blood with every movement. Raising its good left arm, it began to draw in energy as it prepared itself for a massive attack.

Beside it, stood a man dressed in tattered rags, his body marked in wounds that were freshly healed, the transparent image of a graceful looking demon fox hovered around the man's body. His left arm was torn and misshapen as he flicked up his head defiantly, jolting up silver hair as he gazed into his opponent's eyes as he raised his right arm and began to draw in strength.

All seemed deathly quiet as they both reached their limits.

Then as a single piece of stone crumbled and hit the scarred floor, they moved. Their arms outstretched, they simply rammed their fists together. Their final attack was nothing more then the struggle of raw power.

Light shone from the contending fists as the air around them almost instantly reached its limit and exploded in a blinding flare of pure energy, releasing a shockwave of untold power.

A shockwave emanated from the central tower, cover all ground instantly and stretched into the horizon, destroying the terrain and killing those weak and unprepared.

Naruto raised his arms protectively before his face as the shockwave took him into its fold. The energy burnt as it touched his skin, forcing him to close his eyes to attempt to block out the light and withstand the pain.

The burning sensation grew and Naruto clenched his teeth together as he felt the burning sensation touch his soul and the excess energy seemed to pool into something.

With a final scream of pain, Naruto felt himself surrounded by white light and felt as though he was being pulled apart cell by cell into the something.

Then as quickly as the shockwave came, it left, leaving destruction in its wake. The survivors quickly searched around and helped their injured comrades. Though most survived, there was no sign of many of their greatest heroes, their spirits, vanished without a trace.

However, they were told of this outcome and quickly left the ravaged city, returning to their homes in victory as they left the shattered and once proud empire of the Shadows Sun.

A gentle wind blew through the remains of a ruined city. The streets were littered with the dead as the few survivors inspected what was left of their glorious empire. As they searched through the city, they found barely a few dozen survivors.

Within the castle was only ruin as only pockets of defenders had survived the onslaught. The bodies and remains of their generals were left unsullied within their respected throne rooms.

As they reached the final tower however, many screamed aloud as other cried and yet even more simply stared with an iron gaze at the body of their once invincible leader. His golden body torn to into almost nothing, his spirit was long since gone, leaving only a torn and dead husk.

The survivors simply turned away and as a group left, their empire was gone but their will was far from shattered. Turning into the setting sun, they left, knowing that one day they would return and rebuild what they had lost. For now they were defeated, but one day, they would again arise, with a greater army and stronger revived lords.

They were the warriors of the Shadowed Sun. They alone held the right to rule and though they were repelled this time, they would surely arise again, for was not it their destiny to decide who lived or died?

A masked Anbu stood watch over the young boy resting on the warm wooden floor. Covered in scripture and resting within a ward of dozens of seals, a young blond boy rested under a simple white covering. The room was kept at a constant warm temperature that was closely monitored so that it wouldn't vary by more then a few degrees.

Looking up, the Anbu knew it was a full moon out and she wondered how long the fox demon was going to stay in his unchanging state. It was the order of the Fifth, the leader of the Leaf Village, the Hokage, that she herself would stand watch over him. If it wasn't a direct order, she wouldn't have been here, looking over a coma stricken fox demon that she felt no attachments to.

She continued with her ponderings for a few more minutes as she turned to look at the door, wondering when her shift was over. Never noticing the subtle movements of her ward.

The young boy twitched as the scriptures began to quickly fade and the seals vanished. Without a sound, the young blond boy sat up, his simple covering sliding silently to collect at his waist.

Turning his head to look at the person standing with their back to him, the young boy simply got up as he realized he was undressed and wrapped the simple cover around his waist, shielding his modesty from plain view.

The sound of fabric sliding against fabric instantly broke her train of thought as she whipped around to see her charge not only awake but was also standing and as of currently, studying her.

Moving backwards to the door, she simply tapped her right knuckles against the door. It immediately opened, revealing the faces of two more masked people.

The two new masks turned the young boys attention to them, and one of them gasped as quickly ran out the door, charging the silent corridor as the second Anbu raced towards the Fifth.

The third and first Anbu stood in front of the door as they continued to watch the young boy who simply stared back.

The first Anbu was at a loss for words. How had he silently awoken and climbed to his feet without a single sound? How could she have been so careless! Was it not her duty to watch over him!

Swallowing once, she decided that those thoughts were irrelevant as currently standing before her was the young fox demon genin. All that mattered now was that Uzumaki Naruto had awoken from his ten-month coma.

) ( " ) (")

Author's Corner: Hey Hey! I finished my prologue! Heh heh.

Well this is going to be an interesting piece as I basically wing the entire series and hope that it comes together properly with story, fighting and excitement! (Ok, ok. I'm doomed from the start =P)

Umm, hmmmm… what to say? I decided to start this series for a while but didn't have the right incentive to. Then after watching like 20 hours of anime, I found my inspiration and decided to start this baby.

Lets see, the current references are:

- Soul / Soul Energy = Chackra (This soul stuff is temp, ill be reverting back to chackra soon, just wanted the difference for this location as you may or may not understand later on =P)

- Soul Fist derives from the style called Ankokumatoujustsu which translate into something like reverse black magic technique or something like that =P and it is grabbed from the series called Devil + Devil.

- Shadow Skill is from the anime Shadow Skill, so is the attack/style Kamui but that has been completely altered to fit my Fan Fic

- Naruto as to my knowledge has not been put into a coma (which he should have considering what he's put himself through _ Go Naruto!!)

- Who is the Fifth Hokage? Well read chapter one and find out, when it comes out a long, long time from now.

- Do I have a life? The answer is still… no, pity me peoples.

Well I think that about covers it, if you have any comments/criticisms or what not, please email me at Psionic_Soldier@hotmail.com.

So far as I know this fanfic is only on FanFiction.net and just as a side note, when I checked the Naruto fanfics like half a year ago, there was like 5 chapters… now there's like a hell of a lot more… scary stuff…

P.S. – sorry to those who are also fans of my Zelda fiction, Legend of Zelda: Rise of the Dark Hero, as I spent time doing this rather then Chapter 03… ummm I just wanted a small break away from Zelda stuff and get Naruto out of my system as I've been reading too much of the manga and such. I will GET that chapter out sometime… sometime…

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